No Post-Super Bowl Lift for CBS

CBS failed to capitalize on the promotional muscle of the Super Bowl, as Monday night’s prime-time lineup showed very little growth versus the most recent Monday roster of first-run episodes.

According to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, CBS’ comedy-heavy lineup averaged 10.4 million viewers and a 3.3 rating in the 18-49 demo, marking a slight decline in reach from 10.6 million viewers on Jan. 21. In the 18-49 demo, CBS last night improved by one-tenth of a ratings point versus the relevant date.

Of the five series CBS aired on Monday, only the recently renewed comedy How I Met Your Mother demonstrated ratings growth, averaging 10.3 million viewers and a 4.0 in the demo—an increase of 8 percent from 3.7.

In the 8:30 p.m. slot, the long-delayed season premiere of Rules of Engagement delivered 9.40 million viewers, down 18 percent from the October 2011 Season 6 opener (11.5 million). Last night’s episode also notched a 3.1 in the 18-49 demo, a drop of 14 percent versus the previous mark of 3.6.

The final component of the two-hour comedy block also shrank a bit, as Mike & Molly slipped from 10.9 million viewers/3.3 rating to 10.8 million/3.2. Lastly, the 10 p.m. drama Hawaii Five-0 enjoyed a slight gain in the demo, averaging a 2.3 rating, up one-tenth of a ratings point versus its most recent new installment.

While the lack of a big post-Super Bowl spike may have been a disappointment for CBS, it is worth noting that the network last night still managed to win every time slot. Moreover, if pumped-up ratings are indeed a function of promo exposure, then the network should expect a big lift for its Thursday night drama Person of Interest. Per Kantar Media analysis, CBS’ 20-second promo for the Jim Caviezel/Michael Emerson thriller was the highest-rated “commercial” to air in Super Bowl XLVII, drawing a 47.4 household rating at approximately 10:31 p.m. EST.

While Fox won’t host the Super Bowl until next year, the broadcaster is enjoying a significant lift from its new procedural The Following. In its third at-bat, the blood-spattered Kevin Bacon vehicle drew 9.01 million viewers and a 2.9 in the dollar demo, marking a 12 percent drop in total reach among the 18-49 set. These drops are well within the expected churn rate, especially as the show remains the only freshman effort of 2012-13 to actually grow its deliveries between its first and second weeks.

On the CW, The Carrie Diaries appears to be a grower, as the fourth installment averaged 1.51 million viewers and a series-high 0.9 in the 18-34 demo—up by half from last week’s 0.6 rating.

Lastly, NBC’s whodunit Deception lost 16 percent of its aggregate audience, while falling another tenth of a point in the demo (1.1).

Tonight (9 p.m.-11 p.m.), the Peacock will air the two-hour Season 2 premiere of its Broadway musical drama Smash. After bowing to a very solid 11.5 million viewers and a 3.8 in the demo on Feb. 6, 2012, Smash quickly lost its footing, ending its 15-episode freshman run in front of 5.96 million viewers and a 1.8 among the sub-50 set.

Smash was hampered by the loss of a powerhouse lead-in (The Voice) and a series of backstage intrigues that culminated in the defection of original showrunner Theresa Rebeck. Following tonight’s two-parter, Smash returns to the NBC lineup on Feb. 19, assuming the Tuesday 10 p.m. time slot.

CBS failed to capitalize on the promotional muscle of the Super Bowl, as Monday night’s prime-time lineup showed very little growth versus the most recent Monday roster of first-run episodes.

According to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, CBS’ comedy-heavy lineup averaged 10.4 million viewers and a 3.3 rating in the 18-49 demo, marking a slight decline in reach from 10.6 million viewers on Jan. 21. In the 18-49 demo, CBS last night improved by one-tenth of a ratings point versus the relevant date.

Of the five series CBS aired on Monday, only the recently renewed comedy How I Met Your Mother demonstrated ratings growth, averaging 10.3 million viewers and a 4.0 in the demo—an increase of 8 percent from 3.7.

In the 8:30 p.m. slot, the long-delayed season premiere of Rules of Engagement delivered 9.40 million viewers, down 18 percent from the October 2011 Season 6 opener (11.5 million). Last night’s episode also notched a 3.1 in the 18-49 demo, a drop of 14 percent versus the previous mark of 3.6.

The final component of the two-hour comedy block also shrank a bit, as Mike & Molly slipped from 10.9 million viewers/3.3 rating to 10.8 million/3.2. Lastly, the 10 p.m. drama Hawaii Five-0 enjoyed a slight gain in the demo, averaging a 2.3 rating, up one-tenth of a ratings point versus its most recent new installment.

While the lack of a big post-Super Bowl spike may have been a disappointment for CBS, it is worth noting that the network last night still managed to win every time slot. Moreover, if pumped-up ratings are indeed a function of promo exposure, then the network should expect a big lift for its Thursday night drama Person of Interest. Per Kantar Media analysis, CBS’ 20-second promo for the Jim Caviezel/Michael Emerson thriller was the highest-rated “commercial” to air in Super Bowl XLVII, drawing a 47.4 household rating at approximately 10:31 p.m. EST.

While Fox won’t host the Super Bowl until next year, the broadcaster is enjoying a significant lift from its new procedural The Following. In its third at-bat, the blood-spattered Kevin Bacon vehicle drew 9.01 million viewers and a 2.9 in the dollar demo, marking a 12 percent drop in total reach among the 18-49 set. These drops are well within the expected churn rate, especially as the show remains the only freshman effort of 2012-13 to actually grow its deliveries between its first and second weeks.

On the CW, The Carrie Diaries appears to be a grower, as the fourth installment averaged 1.51 million viewers and a series-high 0.9 in the 18-34 demo—up by half from last week’s 0.6 rating.

Lastly, NBC’s whodunit Deception lost 16 percent of its aggregate audience, while falling another tenth of a point in the demo (1.1).

Tonight (9 p.m.-11 p.m.), the Peacock will air the two-hour Season 2 premiere of its Broadway musical drama Smash. After bowing to a very solid 11.5 million viewers and a 3.8 in the demo on Feb. 6, 2012, Smash quickly lost its footing, ending its 15-episode freshman run in front of 5.96 million viewers and a 1.8 among the sub-50 set.

Smash was hampered by the loss of a powerhouse lead-in (The Voice) and a series of backstage intrigues that culminated in the defection of original showrunner Theresa Rebeck. Following tonight’s two-parter, Smash returns to the NBC lineup on Feb. 19, assuming the Tuesday 10 p.m. time slot.